Category Archives: Mobility

Austin, Mobility, Texas

SDiT Buddy

Our Austin trainer, Emmett, had his first session with a local family and their son. The son suffers from autism and mobility issues. Their SDIT is a Labrador Retriever named “Buddy”.

Emmett writes:

“I met with the family and their SDiT prospect, Buddy. Buddy passed the temperament and trainability test with flying colors! He is a 10 month-old lab that they purchased from a breeder some time ago and since then, he and their son have become bonded. Buddy allowed me to touch him all over his body and inside his mouth. He accepted treats from my hand. He has no history of aggression toward people or other animals. Buddy is able to “sit” on command. He is also up to date on all vaccines and is on monthly heart/flea/tick/etc. preventative. He makes decent eye contact but, being a puppy, his attention wanders – so that will need to be worked on.

No tasks were worked on at this session. We brainstormed as a team what tasks would be beneficial for their son. The family would like Buddy to be trained to help the son when he becomes upset (the child has significant cognitive disabilities). Deep Pressure Therapy and tactile stimulation are the tasks we have decided on for this.

As the child matures, they would like the team to be trained for bracing and counterbalance, as their son goes through periods of time where his stability is impaired. They are aware that Buddy cannot begin heavy mobility training until his joints and bones finish growing. He will start “light mobility” (being trained to retrieve objects their son drops or needs) in the meantime.
Buddy is very, very friendly, but his focus needs to be worked on. I believe this will be Buddy’s biggest hurdle while training. He is very curious about the world, but also very well-rounded. I see him doing good things for their son soon!

The family will continue to work on “sit” with Buddy. They will also work on “down”, “off” and “watch me” until they come back from their family vacation.”

Mobility, Pain Management, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), San Antonio, Texas

Madison’s meet and greet

From our trainer, Brenda, who is working with Madison, who suffers from “POTS” (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), bad migraines, and a nerve condition that makes her go randomly paralyzed. Since the day she woke up and couldn’t move, she has also suffered from PTSD and anxiety.

Brenda writes:

“I met Madison and her mom, Robin, for a meet and greet with some dogs. They met Suzy, Rocky, and Rufus. Madison spent quite a bit of time with Rufus who, after getting some energy out, calmed down very well and kept going to Madison and sitting by her. He knows the verbal and hand command “sit” and seemed to like the praise even more than the treats. I could touch him all over and even pull on his ears and tail and he was not bothered. They are going to discuss it with Madison’s father, but Rufus could be the one!”

Diabetes, Medical Alert, Mobility, MST, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATULATIONS WOUNDED WARRIOR DENISE AND SANDY!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS DENISE AND SANDY!!!!!

From our super trainer, Brenda, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Denise and her now Service Dog, lab mix Sandy!!! Denise suffers from diabetes, PTSD, and needs medical alerts due to her struggles with the wheelchair and resulting difficulties.

“We performed the Public Access Test at Denise’s home, the supermarket, and Church’s Chicken. Denise and Sandy performed “controlled load and unload into a vehicle”, “approaching the building”, “controlled entry through a doorway”, “heeling through the building”, “six foot recall on lead”, “sitting on command” (mostly), “downing on command” (mostly), “ignoring noise distractions”, “restaurant etiquette”, “off-lead leash drop”, “dog taken by another person”, and “controlled exit” (mostly).

There was a bit missing during the “Team Relationship”, because Sandy received a grade of mostly for being completely relaxed and confident, and completely under control, but otherwise they did fine in this category.

Due to the fact that both Brenda and Denise use wheelchairs, they did not load into/out of a traditional vehicle; they took the bus. However, Brenda has seen Denise load/unload with her provider’s truck and the VIA Bus where Sandy performed the tasks perfectly!

Awesome job guys!!!!!

Anxiety, Houston, Mobility, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Marissa and her SDIT Xena

From our wonderful trainer, Kendra, who is working with Marissa and her SDIT, Xena. Marissa suffers from mobility issues and anxiety.

“I met with Marissa and Xena at Petsmart on Sunday. Marissa was babysitting a small baby at the time. Xena waited inside the car while the door was open for Marissa to unload the baby and get him in the stroller. Once Marissa gave Xena the ok to get “unload”, Xena was a little nervous because it is her very first time in public, but she did unload. We went inside Petsmart and it quickly became apparent that Marissa and Xena were feeding off each other’s nervous energy and it was not looking good. I knew something was off because Xena knows her commands, and when she did not want to obey, I knew we had to re-evaluate the situation and take a few steps back. Marissa was becoming frustrated and it showed in her tone of voice, then Xena started ignoring her. So we walked back to the front door, placed Xena in a down, and had a conversation. As a trainer, it’s my job to have open communication with my clients, so we I explained how frustration on the part of a handler impacts a dog. I told her of a situation I was in to help her understand to help empathize. I told her that sometimes I get so frustrated at home because no one ever helps with the chores and we have a family of 6, so it can be taxing. When I start getting frustrated and getting on to my husband to help me, then he tunes me out. But when I talk calm and nice he listens. Then, later on as a he does a load of dishes, he texts me to say that he did one load of dishes. He is looking for a “thank you, I appreciate that” and since we are creatures of habit, I know if I give my husband what he is looking for, then he will continue to help. But if I were to ignore his message and say “well that’s not good enough”, then he would stop helping altogether.

A dog is the same way; if you are ignoring them when they are doing what’s expected, and only giving them “attention” when they are misbehaving, then you are inadvertently praising the bad behavior and ignoring the good. That the total opposite of what is needed in dog training. I went on to explain that they are a team; they have to learn to use and trust eachother and work together. When Xena didn’t obey the first time, Marissa would get upset, then Xena would stop listening and focusing. So we tried again, and I asked Marissa to learn how to get Xena to focus on her first. There was too many distractions inside. We walked outside and quickly learned that when Xena is praised, it motives Xena more than treats! So every single time Xena looked at Marissa, she lavished her with praise. Soon Xena was excited to be out and Marissa had her confidence back! At that moment I knew they were a team!

We worked right outside the door of the pet store first; we had Xena practice sits and downs while people walked by. Then we worked on sitting and waiting before entering the store. We went right inside the first double doors where the shopping carts are. I made a loud noise and pushed the cart right next to Xena while she was in a down. Anytime Xena was starting to lose focus, I had Marissa get it back by waiting for Xena to look her way, then lavishing Xena with praise again. It worked like a charm! Soon Xena was ready go into in the store. We walked down isles, practiced sit, down, stay, heel, leave it, and meet and greets.

During the training, Xena was very attentive as Marissa’s pain level increased. Xena alerted multiple times to Marissa, and we went and sat down. At this point, it was too painful for Marissa to walk, so we found a wheelchair and Xena did great heeling next to it. We went into Bed Bath and Beyond and had Xena do some commands while Marissa was in the wheelchair. Xena was very careful when going through tight quarters and let Marissa go first while Xena followed. I gave Marissa the OK to start taking Xena out everywhere, including work.

They will continue to work on commands and also noise distractions. Xena takes a moment to recover from noise, so they will work on this until our next session. I also reminded Marissa to keep her frustration in check and remember when she is starting to get frustrated, it’s because she doesn’t have Xena’s focus before giving a command. So get her focus back, then give the command when out in public. Once Xena was focused, she obeyed flawlessly.

Anxiety, Depression, Mobility, San Antonio, Texas

Alex, and his SDIT, Rottweiler “Meadow”

From our super trainer, Beverli, who is working with Client Alex, and his SDIT, Rottweiler “Meadow”. Alex has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, spondylitis, sclerosis, depression, and anxiety. He has a permanent brace that he has to wear, and has to walk with a cane or a walker; sometimes when the pain is too much, he has to use a wheelchair. He needs help with balance and mobility and help with picking up items from the ground when he drops them.

Beverli writes:

“On our third session, we covered basic obedience; “sit”, “sit/stay”, “down/stay” (both while Alex was in sight and out of sight), and restaurant etiquette. We also walked through the mall, going into several stores and ate lunch in this very crowded environment. Meadow showed excellent improvement in all areas, especially “watch me”. She broke her “down/stay” while Alex was out of sight only a few times, so they will be working on that. Overall, both Alex and Meadow did a fantastic job in this very distractible environment.

Their homework is to continue working on the slow heel that Alex needs, working on staying under the table at all times while eating, and teaching “fetch” and “give” to help with object pick up for Alex.”

Mobility, San Antonio, Texas

Noelle and SDiT Hazel

From our trainer, Brenda, who is working with client Noelle. She writes the following:

“We worked on sit/stay/come, and down/stay. I had her start with her SDIT, Hazel, at one end of the house and had her repeat sit, stay, and come commands, while trying to get further away from her and getting her to stay longer. By the time we were done with that, Noelle could get several feet away from Hazel, who would stay until she gave her the come command. We then worked again on getting her to “down” and stay in a “relaxed” pose without bouncing right back up. We praised Hazel with petting and words of encouragement for staying. By the time I left, Hazel was lying down and staying put while we talked. Noelle is going to save a can filled with noisy items to shake to help with getting Hazel’s attention back, and will keep following up with what we were working on.

At our next session, we started off outside taking a walk so I could see how Hazel was heeling with Noelle in and out of her wheelchair. Hazel was pulling her a little and trying to veer off, so I advised Noelle to keep Hazel very close to her and to tell her No Hazel, heel, and pull her back to the correct position. I also had her stop and tell Hazel to sit when she wanted to, which she did well. Hazel was getting distracted easily by many things outside; bugs, leaves falling, shadows moving. When we took a break while Noelle’s mom got her wheelchair, I had Noelle give Hazel the down and stay commands, but Hazel kept jumping right back up and wouldn’t get into a relaxed pose with the distractions, so I thought it best we work on that and getting Hazel to be focused on Noelle. When we would get her to lay down, I would have Noelle pet/praise Hazel to try and get her relaxed. If Hazel would bounce back up right away and then get distracted, I had Noelle use the can to get her attention, give her the “watch me” command, then repeat the down/stay. It took a little bit of work, but then Hazel FINALLY got it, and by the time I left, Hazel was lying at Noelle’s feet, in a completely relaxed pose, even when one of her parents would come walking up to us with a purposeful distraction! Noelle was to split up working with her inside and outside to get her use to minding with distractions.

Trainer Brenda, Noelle and Hazel

Hazel can be a tough cookie, but I advised Noelle to be even tougher! Once she gives Hazel a command, she MUST follow through and make Hazel do it, no matter how long it takes, or Hazel will figure out that she doesn’t really need to mind.

Anxiety, Medical Alert, Mobility, PTSD, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Updates from Candace

From our dear trainer, Candace, who recently obtained a new job in her specialty, but still finds time to train and loves it!

She writes:

Victoria her SDIT, Great Dane Anika

My first client, Victoria, suffers from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, mobility and related issues. She and her SDIT, Great Dane Anika, are on a trial period for the next 6 weeks, as her Anika had an adverse response to getting her paws grabbed. I’ve informed Victoria as to what she needs to do to socialize her dog, and how to reinforce a more appropriate response. She will keep me updated and I will reassess the team at a different time.

My second client, Kay, suffers from left hemiparesis. Her left leg if functional enough for her to walk with assistance, but her left arm is completely non-functional. Her right arm only has about 45% range of motion, and her right shoulder has had to be replaced twice. She has also had to have both knees replaced. I am working with their Golden Retriever, “Lady”, who will start training in 6 weeks because Lady was slightly skittish around traffic and I did not feel comfortable with her response to a noise distraction. However, Kay and her husband, Jim, had just gotten Lady, and I felt like they could do some basic training and socialize her. Lady is a really sweet dog, and I’ll keep in contact with this very determined couple.

Sherry and SDIT, “Rapturebuggy”

My third client is Sherry, who suffers from anxiety and PTSD. Sherry’s SDIT, “Rapturebuggy” passed his initial assessment with flying colors! I set Sherry up with a starting plan and have an appointment to meet with them in April to see how it goes. I reviewed the Public Access Test with them, and went over how to order a vest and other general information. I gave them some homework on basic command work. Rapturebuggy picks commands up very quickly. I think they will turn out to be a great team!

LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer

My fourth client, LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer, went through a mock Public Access Test today. LaCretia has adrenal failure and takes hydrocortisone daily for life. Currently, there are no tools to help her control the disease as there are no tests available to tell her when her cortisone is low. Boomer did fairly well with the mock PAT, but this was really to outline the team’s weak spots. Some of the things they need to work on are promptness of response to commands, not going after food, and staying in a down/sit position. The team was strong in the entry/exit of a vehicle, and they maneuver well together through the mall. From a Medical Alert standpoint, LaCretia reports that Boomer is doing well on his alerts to her cortisol levels, and we talked about what behaviors to reinforce and when.

Anxiety, Experience, Medical Alert, Military, Mobility, Navy, Panic Attack, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Denise and SDiT Sandy

From our trainer, Brenda, who is a paraplegic in a wheelchair and specializes in working with our other clients in wheelchairs, who has been working with Denise and her SDIT, Sandy!

Brenda writes:

“After several training sessions, I went through a mock Public Access Test to show me that Sandy was ready for her formal test. We did the following:

1) Sandy “loaded” onto the bus perfectly. I had also observed her loading into Denise’s provider’s truck Friday without hesitation.
2) Sandy “unloaded” off the bus perfectly.
3) Denise demonstrated “sit” and “stay” without a problem. Sandy did not pay attention to the food on the floor at McDonald’s and has never had an issue at home when Denise eats. We did not go to the grocery store, but I have seen in the past that Sandy has no issues with shopping carts in the store. Denise does not want anyone petting Sandy.
4) Denise demonstrated “down” with little problem. At 1st, Sandy was very excited and wasn’t focused, but Denise quickly got her full attention when she brought out the can of Pet Corrector! Sandy then laid down right away and stayed. Sandy laid right down in McDonald’s, too, and did not bother with food that was already on the floor. She did not break the down position when people walked by.
5) Denise and Sandy went through the door at her apartment and at McDonald’s with Sandy heeling just in front of her chair, out of the way of it and not too far ahead. Sandy also demonstrated that she knows her directions.
6) When we were going to and from the bus stop and restaurant, I observed that Sandy heeled perfectly next to Denise’s chair (or just in front of as needed), and there was slack in the leash so I know she wasn’t pulling. Traffic and noise do not bother Sandy. She stops when Denise stops.
7) Sandy executed “go through” perfectly and waits for Denise once she is through.
8) Sandy stays right next to Denise at all times.
9 & 10) For safety reasons, I did not have her demonstrate these; I feel more comfortable waiting to do these with someone who can walk just in case things go wrong. However, Denise told me of a situation last week where when they were getting dropped off by ViaTrans. Sandy saw a cat when the door opened, and Denise did not have good hold of the leash. Sandy took off after the cat and Denise said “NO Sandy! Come back here!” Sandy stopped right away and went back to Denise. Sandy did the “sit/stay/come” combo perfectly in the house.
11) I have done this in the past without Sandy even flinching, and she wasn’t distracted by noise or people on our outing today – so I didn’t drop anything. It also wasn’t feasible to do this rolling on the sidewalk. We only went to McDonald’s and not HEB too, as this would have been too much for Denise today and I didn’t want to be redundant on things I know that Sandy is perfect with and will pass on her official test.

I did do some wheelchair troubleshooting. There was an issue as far as the bus one time; Sandy did not have a place to sit in front of Denise’s chair, out of the aisle. I saw this in the past, and had been thinking of what we could do. I suggested that Denise make sure her chair was as far back as possible and to swing out the leg rest that was on the window side, put her foot on the floor to give Sandy more room to sit for the ride, and also to swing out the leg rest on the aisle side like a door when Sandy gets in and out to make it easier on her. Denise didn’t even know that her leg rests COULD swing out and I’m not sure that you would have known either or how to do it. Sandy was still hesitant to get into that spot, but I think it’s just from her past experience of having no room and being uncomfortable, so I advised Denise to be ready with treats to coax her there in the future until Sandy catches on that it is easier and she now has more room to sit comfortably. I made it clear to Denise that I am still here for her if she has problems and to call me so I can do more troubleshooting. I believe that once Sandy realizes that adjustments have been made and she has a big enough spot to sit every time, Sandy will go right into her spot without hesitation and it will be a faster process!

They are ready for their Public Access Test next session!

Anxiety, Mobility, San Antonio, Texas

YAY TO NETTE AND SD ELLA

YAY TO NETTE AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, ELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nette, who has had a stroke due to an inherited condition and has anxiety and mobility issues, has done AMAZING work with Ella! Laurie remembers first meeting them many months ago, and Ella was just a huge ball of all over the place energy. Well, not anymore! Even though she is only 1 ½ and a Labrador, Nette and Ella and Laurie have trained continuously in many different places, and Ella did every command perfectly during our Public Access Test (PAT) at Bass Pro Shop! (the workers there are so used to Laurie bringing dogs in there for the PAT, they know what parts of the test they will be asked to participate in!) Ella unloaded, waited in a perfect sit until Letty was ready, did a wonderful controlled entry, always stayed in heel position, kept her focus on Nette despite all the many distractions at the Shop, we did turns and fast-pace and slow-paced walking, did steps one at a time (step-wait, step-wait) because Nette has difficulty on steps, rode in the elevator where Nette did the proper holding of the door to let Nette go in and out first, met children (Ella LOVES children – and especially loved a little 2 year-old whose parents agreed to the meet and greet and whose name was also Ella!), met adult strangers, did controlled exits, controlled load into vehicle – everything. We even could put her favorite treats on her paw and she would “leave it” until Nette gave her the command that it was ok. Ella heeled perfectly next to a shopping cart, let me take her and walk with her (looking back to make sure “mom” was following and ok), did not react to any loud distractions, etc. She received SO many compliments from people who came up and said “I wish my Labrador could act like your dog!” She did a perfect down/stay, and sit/stay – even when Nette disappeared out of sight a bit still saying the command stay!

Although we have had many training sessions, Laurie has to give all the credit to Nette, who is extremely intelligent and compassionate and consistently has been training with Nette at home and in public. She has done an amazing job, and Laurie is SO proud of her. They have developed a friendship that will last for life!!

Of course, Ella received tons of praise when she was done, and you could tell Ella knew she did a great job. She’s got a little bit of sassiness to her that makes her all the more adorable! She was rewarded with her favorite treat by Nette afterward – a vanilla ice cream cone!

Anxiety, Mobility, Multiple Sclerosis, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS BROOK AND SD TATER

From our wonderful trainer, Pat, who performed the Public Access Test with client Brook and her now SERVICE DOG, TATER!!! CONGRATULATIONS BROOK AND TATER! Pat writes:

“Brook and her SDIT, 7 year-old hound/Boxer, “Tater”, are wonderful students!!! This week, I conducted their Public Access Test and they passed with ease! Brook was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after over 2 years of evaluations, tests and frustration with the pain and lack of answers. We both knew that Tater’s age would limit his length of service and ability to be a mobility dog. However, Brook hoped he would offer her some assistance – long enough to buy time to find and train another dog. She has rapidly been losing her balance and dexterity, she gets dizziness and weakness, and often drops things.

Our objectives for Tater were for Brook to be able to grab his handle just for some stability, and to teach him to pick up things that she drops, because bending over to do it herself was a risky endeavor. He had never had any formal obedience training, and also had a lifelong playmate that was recently lost, leaving him with a hole in his soul that resulted in sadness and loss of interest in life. He also had never had any interest in retrieving or playing catch or any such thing, so Brook had serious doubts whether we could teach him to pick up items for her.

Brook’s ability to absorb my coaching, her commitment to and quality of practice, and Tater’s willingness to try/do new things, were delightful and rewarding. His obedience training came along smashingly, quickly progressing to almost perfect control on the leash. However, both of us had reservations with his response to click/reward training for the retrieve. He was so keenly motivated by the treats that nothing else, including a toy, existed during the first two weeks of training.

Then, during the third week, the lightbulb suddenly came on! He started picking up a toy and placing it in Brook’s lap on the floor. Then, this progressed to when Brook was seated on a chair! And then, Tater started transferring the knowledge to other toys. WaaHooo!!! He got it! So on the 4th week of retrieve training, we started back on the floor with her keys. That very evening, he began picking up keys dropped on the floor and placing them in her hand while she was standing!

By then we were ready for the PAT, and in Walmart, while performing his new ‘tricks’ (like picking up keys, and “sit-down-stand” in succession on command), I suggested that another important skill would be for him to pick up the leash should she drop it. She agreed, and promptly dropped his leash and told him to ‘get it’. Not only did he get it, but he picked it up by the handle no less, and placed it in her hand! AMAZING! Then, Brook’s husband tossed his wallet on the floor, and on the third try (the first two of which he picked it up), Tater picked it up and gently gave it to her.

Now Tater is a 7 year old pup! He is excited about life, can’t wait to train and do new things, and once and for all puts to rest the ancient adage that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”!!!! Congratulations Brook and Tater! Tater, you have a wonderful career ahead of you!”